News

The Able Danger Mystery, Continued

9/6/2005

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The Able Danger Mystery, Continued: The Pentagon has muddled through a three-week investigation into allegations that Operation Able Danger uncovered information in 2000 about the 9/11 hijackers that was not passed on to the FBI. (See DR, 8/18/05.) DOD officials on Thursday said that they have not found physical evidence of the chart alleged to contain a photo of Mohammed Atta, but they did uncover three people—not already identified in news media reports—who recalled a chart with either a photo or reference to the 9/11 hijacker. So far, so good. On to an official description of Able Danger. First, what it was not: a military unit or a targeting effort. What it was: a 15-month planning effort that had as one of its tasks uncovering linkages among and within al Qaeda. Glad we got that cleared up.